Santonio had a say in hiring Jets’ receivers coach

Posted by Michael David Smith on August 26, 2012, 7:48 AM EDT

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At the start of the offseason, Jets receiver Santonio Holmes was viewed by some as a destructive force in the locker room. But Jets coach Rex Ryan still thought of Holmes as not only the Jets’ best receiver, but a player who deserved to be consulted on the direction of the team.

So before Ryan hired Sanjay Lal as the Jets’ new receivers coach, he set up a meeting between Lal and Holmes and asked Holmes to weigh in.

“Sanjay was the right guy to bring in at the time,” Holmes said. “When we met at Coach Ryan’s house, we saw eye-to-eye with everything that we talked about. He’s a tough-nosed guy, very mechanical, loves to work on technique and doesn’t take any B.S. from the receivers.”

If Holmes is welcoming a coach who won’t take any B.S., that alone is progress in the Jets’ locker room.

This is why i love my steelers, Ben didn’t even have a say when it came to the offensive coordinator. This is why Rex Ryan will never get the success he wants. Santonio will never respect a coach whose hire had to be run by him. what a joke.

This is the first positive Jet’s article PFT has had in awhile. I know its the “in” thing to hate gangreen but their perception is fueled by the way you present your articles guys. That being said, Santonio is either growing up or we’re seeing a calm before a storm.

Very important for the Jets that the players say or do whatever they want; input which friends they’d like the team to draft, and which coaches they’ d like the team to hire.

rajbais says:Aug 26, 2012 9:53 AM

That’s sounds very troubling because I never knew he was on the coaching staff.

Sparano: pushed for the Wildcat
Rex: pushed for Tebow

Actually, he’s getting a lot of guaranteed money even if he gets cut. To make up for it he might as well be one of the coaches or have coaching/personnel duties because he is only 100% correct when he says that a two-quarterback system does not work and he deserves the ball!

Rex had the dumb Super Bowl predictions every year, but Santonio Holmes gets ripped all the time after he actually won it and the MVP for the game!!!!

Santonio Holmes = The most disrespected Super Bowl MVP of all time!!!!

I find it hilarious that Rex Ryan prides himself in being this tough, hard nose no nonsense coach, yet he baby’s and kisses up to his players like no other head coach does. He’s pilsberry doe boy soft

ampats says:Aug 26, 2012 10:19 AM

Just another reason why we have seen a very explosive offense this pre season. How many fist pumps after FG’s do we see tonight on National TV? Better yet,do the Jets get to kick their first PAT this pre season?

Do you mean teams like the Jets and the Knicks (Isiah Thomas ?) that have not won a championship since 1969 & 1973 respectively ?

Teams like New England do not ask their players for input on personnel or coaching decisions, not even Tom Brady a future 1st ballot HOF QB.And that is the difference between an organization that knows what it takes to win a Championship and another that continues to lose.

“Do you mean teams like the Jets and the Knicks (Isiah Thomas ?) that have not won a championship since 1969 & 1973 respectively ?”

No. Actually the first team to come to mind was when Magic Johnson single handedly got Paul Westphal fired as head coach. That led to Pat Riley (who was the team’s broadcaster) getting hired which led to showtime which led to five NBA championships.

And don’t kid yourself, just because it’s not in the news doesn’t mean a team or a coach isn’t going to ask a star player for their opinion. If the Pats were going to hire a new QB coach and didn’t run it by Brady it would be stupid and insulting to a player like him. And Belichick isn’t stupid.

pftcensorssuck says:Aug 26, 2012 11:55 AM

Smart move, having a coach okay’d by a player who shouldn’t even be on your roster.

A well reasoned and thoughtful comment, it’s too bad you’re wrong because what you’re saying makes it seem like the Jets are just a regular team, just a bit more transparent, and not a circus. I know this isn’t true because I’m a Patriots fan that reads PFT, so take my word for it.